(the best) pumpkin spice cupcakes

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i bake things besides cupcakes, i swear. in fact, last weekend, i baked some banana bread. to be perfectly honest i'm not the biggest banana bread fan, so it doesn't get its own blog post. but let me tell you... these cupcakes are where its at. i was expecting them to be so-so. pumpkin has never been my ultimate favorite autumn treat ever. i don't rush out to starbucks for pumpkin spiced lattes, i don't eat pumpkin pie and when i carved pumpkins earlier this month, i had to battle my way through the smell. but these... oh my goodness, guys. it's probably the best recipe i've ever baked. when i tell you to bake them right now, i mean it.

it's my opinion that baking with oil instead of butter always lends to fluffier, smoother and lighter cake as a result. these are #1 in that department - they're super fluffy, not dense at all. the spices in the recipe - cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon - smelled super strong when i measured them out. i was worried it would be a bit much. nope, just enough. can i continue to tell you how perfect these are? i wish i could.

i doubled up on the frosting recipe and was liberal with my vanilla because i love it so. but other than that, i made it exactly as i found it on annie's eats.

for the cupcakes:

• 2 & 2/3 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 can or 15 ounces of pumpkin puree
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs

for the frosting:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons (or a pinch more) vanilla extract
• 3-5 cups powdered sugar, sifted (this amount is totally up to taste - i used 3 & 1/2)

preheat your oven to 350 degrees farenheit. line a cupcake pan with cute wrappers of your choice. in a large bowl, sift together your flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. set aside. in a second large bowl, add your sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil and pumpkin puree and mix with an electric mixer until smooth and cream. add the eggs in one at a time, beating after each addition. add the flour mixture in a few additions until the mixture is just combined.

fill your cupcake papers a little over halfway full, and bake for 18-22 minutes. allow them to cool completely before frosting.

for the frosting, mix the cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer until smooth. add the vanilla extract. gradually beat in the powdered sugar until the frosting is to the sweetness you desire. i used a wilton frosting bag & tip.

candlelit autumn nights

♥ i visited fairhope during the first weekend of october and spent some time with my parents. the weekend included an early birthday dinner with my grandparents, hanging out at fly creek cafe with mom and dad, and saturday lunch with my grandmother and brother. i hadn't been home in a while and i had a really relaxing weekend, only to return to, you guessed it, crazy things to do! i won't get into all the work i've had to do - just trust me, it's lots. but aside from that, i've been enjoying the change in weather, even though it's minimal. it's getting into the 40s at night!

♥ last week i went to birmingham and tried flip burger, and was pleasantly surprised. the whole concept is a "gourmet" selection of burgers - shrimp burgers, lamb burgers, and of course, the basic beef. i'm not really sure what i was expecting, but it surpassed my expectations. because of course, let's face it, gourmet burgers are right up my alley anyway. they put dry ice in their cocktails, which was sort of unnerving... but i'm alive, so i guess it's alright. i wish the summit weren't the only place around "these parts" with a chic array of eateries to choose from (check out my foodie speak...)

♥ sooooo... i got a starbucks card. this has been a long time coming. i've also learned to enjoy paying with my card via passbook, thanks to iOS 6. the starbucks card makes me feel special, but it also makes my marketing senses tingle. sometimes i hate buying into little gimmicks (like this) that really don't provide astounding returns for my unwavering loyalty, but regardless, i like aspiring to being a "gold member". see, it even has a nice ring to it. meredith, the gold member at starbucks.


♥ i turned 22 on the 13th. 22 is not an exciting age, it just means i'm one year older and closer to graduating. just a few of my birthday goodies - a new ID holder for my keys, a pumpkin buttercream (!!!) candle, a nintendo 64 (+ zelda ocarina of time, pokemon snap & mario 64) from my sweet boyfriend, beautiful flowers, a bracelet from bauble bar & a new watch! i have been dying to have a nostalgia fest and play the game console from my glory days - i'm already in love with zelda all over again, it's quite literally one of the most fantastic games ever created in my opinion.

♥ i carved a pumpkin! corey, charla and i got to work on saturday night carving pumpkins - it had been years since i'd done it and it was super fun. i love fall. speaking of which, i've got a fall baking list that keeps getting bigger that i need to tackle soon!